The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-08-28

actual experiment now easy IL ID W liz
down on your back under water, 60
out to the full length of your rope and,
holding your breath, pull yourself in
toward shore, hand-over-hand, not let
ting your feet touch bottom on any ac-
count until your breath gives out or
you run aground. No matter whether
you 90 under water or not, no matter
whether you keep yourself rightside up
or not, go right on hauling yourself to-
ward the shore hand-over-hand, till you
reach shoal water.
When you can run yourself ashore
with ease and certainty you will prob
ably have discovered that most of the
passage is made at or near the surface
of the water, and possibly you will
have learned after fashion to keep
your balance and pull yourself ashore
with your nose above water. When
you can do this you can breathe
through your nose during the passage,
and as soon as you can breathe COM
fortabiy while hauling yourself ashore
you are ready for the next step
namely: try to pull yourself ashore
using one hand for the rope and pad
ding with the other hand. This is not
very easy thing to do, and in all
probability before you accomplish it
you will find yourself padding with
both hands and kicking with both feet
that is to say, swimming. As soon rs
you find that you can keep yoursel.
right side up. and your eyes and nose
above water, you have learned the
great secret, and swimming with the
most approved and scientific stroke
will follow according to your oppor-
tunities and ambition.
These hints are intended to meet the
most difficult case possible, namely,
that of a boy who is obliged to depend
altogether upon his own resources. II
he has some one to help and advise, so
much the better. He will probably
learn to swim the quicker, but he must
haul himself ashore OF the object lesson
will be lost.
These directions are based upon the
well-established fact that no one can be
confident swimmer who is disconcert-
cd at finding himself unexpectedly un.
der water. Therefore the first thing to
learn is to catch the breath instructive.
ly under any and all circumstances the
instant you find yourself going unde,
water. Strangulation occurs in conse.
qucnce of drawing water with the
breath into the air passages, and ever
partial strangulation is unpleasant
The first thing, then, for the would-bt
swimmer to learn is to instinctively
keep water out of the wind-pipe. Thi!
can best be done by frequent voluntary
duckings.
In the rough swimming-school O
boy hood forcible duckings, often to thu
verge of cruelty and danger, are fire.
qucnt incidents. and any preliminar,
practice will be an excellent breakin.
i'll for what most boys are likely to en-
counter.
The succeeding steps are intended t,
teach the beginner by expcricncin:
that his body is really lighter thai
water and will float with trifin,
amount of aid from air i'll the lung
and from mechanical assistance witt
the hands and feet.
| Once learned, this lesson is neve
forgotten, and after little practice il
diving and swimming under water tn
novice will find himself gaining de
gree of confidence that is indispensable
for satisfactory swimming.
The foregoing is intended for girl
and women as well as for boys an
men. Women are usually for obviou
reasons little reluctant to wet thei
hair. They often learn to swim easil
and gracefully almost without KNOWN
how to hold the BREATH 1t follows G
course that when they find themselve
doused suddenly into the water fror
an overturned boat or otherwis
plunged Unexpectedly beneath tn
surface. they become partly strangled
lose all presence of mind and are n
better off than if they could not swim
stroke. Let it then be borne in min
by all swimmers that the best way
learn how to swim is first learn how t
sink.-C Charles l.. Norton. IN Dcnve
Republican.